Afar

ETHNONYMS: Adal, Danakil

The Afar occupy a 143,000-square-kilometer area of Djibouti and
northeastern Ethiopia, sometimes called the Afar Triangle. The eastern
point of the triangle lies at the intersection of the Red Sea and the
Indian Ocean. Their neighbors include the Esa Somali, Ittu, and Enia Galla
to the south; the Wallo, Yaju, and Raya Galla to the west; and the Saho to
the northwest. There is a long history of hostility between the Afar and
the surrounding groups, and, as a result, the Afar are often considered
fierce and warlike.

The Afar claim descent from Arabs, and the name "Danakil"
first appeared in the writings of thirteenth-century Arab geographers. The
name may be derived from the Ankala tribe, which is centered on the Buri
Peninsula. They speak an eastern Cushitic language, and remnants of
Cushitic animistic cults persist in contemporary Afar culture. They
numbered about 143,000 in Djibouti in 1988 and 400,000 in Ethiopia in 1987
(Grimes 1988).

The land inhabited by the Afar is extremely arid and barren, consisting of
stone and sand desert interspersed with salt lakes and lava streams. The
Danakil Depression, which lies within this area, is 91 meters below sea
level and may be the hottest place on earth. There is only one fertile
area, which is along the Awash River, where some cultivation is possible.
Conditions are also less harsh in the Mabra Mountains, the Horma
highlands, and around Mount Biru.

Nomadic pastoralism is the traditional form of subsistence for the Afar,
although some coastal Afar are fishers. Livestock consists of goats,
sheep, and camels where the terrain is suitable, and some cattle in a few
places. The Afar subsist mostly on meat, both domestic and wild, and dairy
products, along with agricultural products that are sometimes stolen and
sometimes obtained in trade with villagers in the Rift Valley or in the
highlands. Until about 1930, the Afar were involved in the trans-Red Sea
slave trade, which may have added substantially to their subsistence base.
More recently, the Afar have engaged in trade with Christian farmers on
the Abyssinian plateau to the west, exchanging butter, hides, livestock,
and rope for agricultural goods.

The pastoralism of the Afar is actually closer to transhumance than to
full nomadism. Transhumance is a patterned movement of people among
several regularly visited locations, at least one of which is permanently
occupied by a part of the population, or is improved by some structure,
such as a house, corral, or storage bin. The encampments established
during the seasonal migrations often consist of no more than grass
lean-tos. The migrating unit has a more permanent homestead somewhere
else, with larger dwelling structures surrounded by thorn-and-brush
fences. Often, it is only the younger members of the group who go on the
seasonal migrations; they take the more highly valued camels and cattle to
higher pastures, leaving the sheep and goats in the care of the older folk
at the more permanent location.

Traditionally, the Afar were divided into two classes, the Asaimara
("the red ones") or nobles, and the Adoimara ("the
white ones") or commoners. Sometimes Asaimara and Adoimara clans
existed as separate territorial groups, but for the most part tribal
groups contained a mixture of both, and the Asaimara/Adoimara distinction
cut across the whole of Afar society. Adoimara groups living among
Asaimara formerly paid tribute, but there were also independent Adoimara
tribes and Adoimara tribes that later obtained independent status. In the
mixed Asaimara/Adoimara groups, the chiefs and heads of kin groups in whom
territorial rights were vested were Asaimara, whereas the client Adoimara
had their own herds of livestock with grazing rights on their
patrons' land. Today the two classes are territorially intermingled
and do not seem to have any distinguishing behavioral characteristics.

The Afar territorial, political, and fighting unit is called a
mela,
which is usually translated as "tribe." Historically, there
has been a great deal of hostility between different tribes. Feuds are
common both within and between tribes. Within tribal units, feuds were
caused by the death of one or more parties in a dispute, and could be
settled with the payment of blood compensation. Disputes between tribes
usually resulted in warfare. Today the Ethiopian government takes a more
involved role in the resolution of disputes.

Tribes are divided into clans, which have an agnatic lineage structure.
Tribal endogamy is the general rule, and there is a preference for
cross-cousin marriage. Girls are eligible for marriage after their tenth
year, whereas a man is traditionally not supposed to marry until after he
has killed someone in battle. Like most Muslim groups, the Afar are
patriarchal; leadership roles are assigned to men. Residence can be either
matrilocal or patrilocal but is predominantly patrilocal. Women are
assigned the tasks of building the nomadic hut, collecting wood and water,
milking, preparing food, and weaving mats. Some Afar tribes have age sets
in which men of similar age are grouped under a common chief and are
initiated together.

The Afar were formerly divided into four paramount sultanates, each of
which was divided into smaller confederate territories. Today the Afar are
increasingly under the control of national governments. Even so, most Afar
are still on the fringes of state control and retain a relatively high
degree of political, social, and economic independence.

Islam is the predominant religion of the Afar, who follow the practices of
the Sufi sect. The practice of Islam is rather unorthodox, particularly
among pastoral Afar, in comparison to other groups (e.g., the Somali).
There are still traces of the Cushitic religion, which can be seen in
shrines erected on mountain tops to offer sacrifices to the sky/god
Zar/Wak. Zar/Wak, the father of the universe, perhaps provided an easy
transition to Allah and Islam.
Jenile,
or oracle dancing, is also connected to the Cushitic religion, and
aspects of the dance may have been incorporated into Sufi Islamic
ceremonies.

Pastner, Stephen (1979). "Lords of the Desert Border: Frontier
Feudalism in Southern Baluchistan and Eastern Ethiopia."
International Journal of Middle East Studies
10:93-106.

Weissleder, Wolfgang. "The Promotion of Suzerainty between
Sedentary and Nomadic Populations in East Ethiopia." In
Nomadic Alternative,
edited by Wolfgang Weissleder. World Anthropology Series. The Hague:
Mouton.